Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

These fudgy chocolate brownies are the ultimate homemade brownies! Made with chopped chocolate AND cocoa powder, nothing beats their thick, fudgy texture and rich chocolate flavor. Best of all, this easy, one-bowl brownie recipe takes less than an hour to bake from start to finish (with only 15 minutes of hands-on time)!

Let’s talk about brownies. I have a LOT of opinions about brownies. But I’ll begin with a story.

When I was pregnant with Cameron, I craved fruit. Especially pineapple and watermelon. I seriously could not get enough fresh fruit. Everyone kept telling me how lucky I was to be craving fruit instead of chocolate.

But then all of a sudden, with just one month to go until Cameron’s due date, I NEEDED brownies. And I needed them RIGHT NOW. Without the energy to bake them myself, Alex made a late night trip to the grocery store to buy a box of brownies from the bakery. Were they perfect? No. (More on what makes a brownie perfect in a minute.) But did they hit the spot in my time of need? Oh heck yes!

To understand what I consider to be the perfect brownie, let’s start by discussing what I do not believe brownies should be:

Cakey. If I wanted cake, I would make a cake. Only fudgy brownies, please!

Frosted. Again, this is not cake. I like my brownies with a nice, shiny top and no frosting.

Chunky. I prefer a smooth chocolatey texture. No nuts or chocolate chunks in my brownies.

So I went on a quest to bake a perfect batch of brownies, and after several test batches I found a winner! These brownies are sheer perfection. They’re ultra decadent with thick, fudgy centers and shiny tops. Here’s what makes these brownies amazing:

TWO kinds of chocolate! We’ll use both melted semi-sweet chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder for perfectly rich chocolatey flavor.

Brown sugar. Instead of using just granulated (white) sugar, we’ll also use some brown sugar. Brown sugar adds an extra bit of moisture and flavor to the recipe.

No baking powder or baking soda. We want our brownies to be as dense and fudgy as possible, so we’re avoiding ingredients that would make our batter rise up to become more cake-like.

Espresso powder. Adding a little bit of espresso powder helps to really bring out the flavor of the chocolate without adding a coffee flavor to the brownies. This ingredient is technically optional, but a little bit goes a long way towards enhancing the richness of the chocolate flavor!

Oh, and did I mention this is an easy brownie recipe? You can mix them up using just one bowl!

The next time a brownie craving strikes, I know exactly which recipe I’ll be baking!

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Description

These fudgy chocolate brownies are the ultimate homemade brownies! Made with chopped chocolate AND cocoa powder, nothing beats their thick, fudgy texture and rich chocolate flavor! Best of all, this easy, one-bowl brownies recipe takes less than an hour to bake from start to finish (with only 15 minutes on hands-on time)!

Scale

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 T brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2 tsp. espresso powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″x8″ metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang so that you can easily pull the baked brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments. Whisk until smooth. Add both sugars and whisk until combined. Add vanilla and eggs and whisk until combined.

Add flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt and fold into the sugar mixture. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. The tops should appear shiny and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs but no raw batter. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before removing them by lifting up on the edges of the parchment paper. Slice into 16 squares.

Notes

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze brownies, wrap the baked and (completely!) cooled brownies in aluminum foil and place inside an airtight plastic bag or container before freezing for up to 5 months.

You can also double this recipe and bake the brownies in a 9″x13″ pan. To do this, double the amount of all ingredients and add about 5 minutes to the baking time (for a total bake time of 35-39 minutes. Once cooled, slice and serve.